(United Nations) The situation in Haiti is “horrible” and “almost out of a scene of Mad Max », film which depicts a post-apocalyptic future, said Sunday the executive director of UNICEF, at a time when this poor Caribbean country is confronted with gang violence.
“Many, many people are suffering from serious hunger and malnutrition, and we are not able to provide them with enough help,” Catherine Russell said in an interview with the American channel CBS.
Haiti and in particular its capital Port-au-Prince have been the scene of an outbreak of gang violence in recent weeks, while Haitians await the establishment of a presidential transitional council after the announcement of the resignation of the Prime Minister challenged Ariel Henry, who now handles current affairs.
Kenya, which must deploy a thousand police officers as part of a multinational security mission, announced that it would suspend the sending of its men, but assured that it would intervene once a presidential council was installed.
The gangs control entire swaths of the country, including 80% of the capital, and are accused of numerous abuses, in particular murders, rapes, and kidnappings for ransom.
“One way or another, we have to take more control of the situation, so as to get aid in” in Haiti, argued Catherine Russell on Saturday, citing the litany of disasters that have affected the country since almost 15 years: “earthquakes, cholera, COVID-19…”.
The current situation “is the worst anyone has seen in decades,” she added.
While the Port-au-Prince airport remains closed, the UN mission in Haiti announced Wednesday the establishment as soon as possible of an “air bridge” between Haiti and the neighboring Dominican Republic by helicopter, particularly to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid.
The capital’s main port has also been at a standstill since March 7, facing acts of “sabotage and vandalism” according to its operator, complicating the delivery of international aid.
A UNICEF container, “including crucial maternal, neonatal and child health supplies,” was looted at this port on Saturday, the UN agency announced in a statement.
“This incident comes at a critical time, when children need it most,” UNICEF added.